Disclaimer: I do not own The Young Riders.

"What was I thinking?" Polly moaned in despair and felt on the verge of crying. She'd done several impetuous, foolish things in her life, she knew that well, and now she gone and gotten herself stuck in a tree.

Polly looked down and tried to judge the distance from where she as stuck to the ground below. She'd gotten up just fine, easily picking her way up the limbs of the tree to the about halfway up. The view was as incredible as she'd thought it would be and Polly stayed up there a long time, looking miles in every direction. When she came back down, she went slowly, making sure to place her feet on the branches at would hold her. She was almost to the ground when she put her weight on the last tree limb and heard a crack.

She shifted and the branch cracked again. Her heart quicken and Polly tried to quicken her actions, finishing the climb down before the branch broke altogether, but as she was about to let go of the branch she held onto to lower herself fully onto the last branch and drop to the ground, the branch gave way and all she was clinging to was the branch above her.

Her father's voice rang in her head as she somehow managing to pull herself up onto the branch from which she hung. His disappointment made her feel stupid as she winced at her ripped sleeve and scraped arms and legs. Her scratched face stung. She couldn't get a firm hold on the tree anymore, because the sleeve of her left arm was caught on the bark. If she left go to tug it loose, she lose her balance and fall the twenty feet to the ground. If she jerked it loose, she'd lose her balance and fall the twenty feet to the ground.

Now she perched awkwardly, unmoving, in the tree in the middle of nowhere, wanting to cry over her own stupidity. She'd gone for a walk outside of town, walked for a mile, maybe two, enjoying the solitude and the scenery and exploring her new home. Seeing the tree rising high, she'd gotten the idea that, should she climb it, she'd be able to see everything she wanted to see. She'd always been a fair climber back home and the branches were close enough together that the tree should pose no problem. There was no one out here to see her, so why not?

Polly tucked the bottom of her skirt into the tops of her knickers until the skirt poofed out over her legs like the top of a mushroom and scampered up like a squirrel. The problem was that now she was stuck and there was still no one around. Stuck in a tree with her skirt in her knickers and a sleeve ripped and a face looking like she'd run straight into a tree, which, in a way, she sort of had.

She knew no one was coming by. She'd known that when she choose the tree, that was why she choose this tree. No one would come to save her here and who would she want to see her this way at all? If Reverend Williams saw her… or if Lansford? Polly started crying and looked to the ground. Twenty feet wasn't too far. She could jump it and might not be too badly hurt. How could she be so stupid?

Her salty tears stung the scraps on her cheeks, but Polly couldn't stop crying, couldn't even reach up to wipe them away. She cried so hard that she thought the sounds of hoofs beating on the ground were a figment of her imagination until she looked up and saw a horse galloping by a hundred yards in front of her tree.

"HELP!" Polly shouted the word before she thought about it. She didn't care who it was anymore. She needed out of this tree. If she were lucky, it would be someone who wouldn't tell her embarrassing secret. "HELP!"

The horse stopped suddenly and Polly could see the rider twisting around in the saddle trying to figure out where the scream was coming from. The horse turned in a circle as the rider searched the area.

"Left!" Polly shouted again and the rider turned in her direction, still searching the ground. She cringed as she called out again and prayed her scrunched yellow dress could be seen through the foliage. "In the tree!"

Polly could see the end of the rider raise and the horse started trotting towards her. She couldn't tell who her rescuer was until he was right below her. When he looked up and she saw his face, Polly nearly died of mortification. It was the last person on earth she wanted to find her half dress in a tree. She'd prefer to have her father find her like this if it were a choice between him and Ike McSwain.

Ike's face broke out in a huge smile when he saw her and his shoulder's shook with laughter as he raised his hands in a gesture that plainly said "What happened?"

"I'm stuck to the tree!" Polly flushed red and waved her snagged arm haplessly. "And the branch broke when I was trying to get down."

Ike took his hat off and tossed it onto the ground, followed by his jacket. Soothing his horse wordlessly, he climbed up to stand on the beast's back and then jumped, easily grabbing the branch above him and swinging himself up. The horse, startled, skittered away to stop a few feet from the tree. Ike climbed better than she did and in less than a minute he was perched on a branch close to hers.

Reaching out with one hand, he worked her sleeve free and Polly thankfully took a more solid grasp on the tree. Ike touched her raw cheeks and his lips thinned into a straight line. The light touch stung a bit, but it sent tingles through the rest of her. Shaking his head, Ike looked her in the eye and then started to sign with one hand, doing more an awkward miming that really signing. He pointed at himself and then down on the ground. Then he pointing at her and made a jumping motion with his index finger. Afterwards came a motion with his arm across his chest that looked sort of like he would catch her.

"You want to go down there and then have me jump?" Polly's eyes widened. "I can't jump! I'll kill myself!"

Ike blinked at her and raised his eyebrows, asking for a better idea. He gestured at the surrounding branches and Polly had to sigh at the fact that she wasn't tall enough to maneuver to a branch a bit closer to the ground.

"Okay, you're right, you're right. You'll catch me?"

Ike nodded and started monkeying his way to a lower branch and then dropped at least fifteen feet to the ground. He winced on impact, but stood easily and positioned himself under her. Polly wanted to die as she very carefully got back into a hanging position, trying to keep her legs as closed at possible.

Raising his arms up, he gave her another nod and a 'come on' motion with his fingers. Squeezing her eyes tightly closed and taking a deep breath, Polly let go of the branch and fell.

A/N:

See, J, I wasn't lying lying when I said I stuck Polly in a tree. Hey, I offered her pie and she said no. And Ike shoulda run away when he had the chance.

Thanks so very much for reading everyone!

Love, Thalia

P.S. I still hate your guts. Jerk.